Improvement in mechanical musical instruments



E. P. NEEDHAM; Mechanical Musical Instru'men t.

P tented-Mar. s, 1879.

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certain new and useful Improvements in Mecally played or controlled by means ot' one or ELIAS P. NEEDIIAM, OF NEW* YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Speciiicat-ion forning part of Letters Patent No. 2

13.443, dated March 18, 1879; applieation'liled January 14, 1879.

To all whom it may cmcm:

Be it known that I, ELIAs l .NEEDI-IAM, of the city and State of New York, have invented chanical Musical Instruments, ot which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompaiying drawings, t'orming part of this specification.

This invention relatcs to organs and other wind musical -instruments which are niechanimore strips or sleets of paper or other suitable material pertbratcd to represent the dit'- ferent notes or sounds it is desired to produce, and caused to automatically pass over airducts, which, accordingly as they are opened by the perforations in the paper that has a valvular action relatively to said ducts, causes the reeds or other sounding devices to be played as required.

The invention applies to instruments of this description in which an air-compression pun' p or bellows is used, as distinguished from an exhaust-bellows, and it will here be described as applied to both rced and pipe organs; but, although lerei more fully illustrated as used in connection with a reed-organ, it will be found niore advantageousl y applicable to pi peorgans, which require a forced blast or air under pressure to piay theni.

Said invention consists in an arrangement within the wind-chest of the instrument of one or more of the pert'orated strips or sheets hereinbefore referred to, and ot' the pert'orated board or other equivalent structure over or in contact with which said perfora-ted strips or sheets travel to control the escape ot' the wind or air under pressure to the pipes, reeds, or other sounding devices, whereby a very perfeet valvular action ot' the strip or sheet is ohtained.

In the accompanying drawings, Fgure l represcnts a plan of a reed-organ, in part, having nyinvention applied; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same on the line :1: a', Fig. l; and Fig. 3, a vertical section thereof on the line 9 y, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of a pi peorgan, in part, having the inventiou applied.

A represents the wind-chest ot' the instrument, which is supplied with air under pressure froni a weighted air receiver or regulator, B, having the air furnished to it by a forcepuni p or bellows, B'. The air under pressure passes from the receiver B by a duet, I), through one or more apertures, c, into the wind-chest A, outside of an action or tube board, D, which has perforations (I, corresponding in number with the reeds or other sounding devices of' the instrument, and which may contain the reeds f, as represented in Figs. 1. and 3, or may communicate with the pipes g when the instrument is a pipe-organ, as shown in Fig. 4.

The passages d in the action or perforated board D, which is inclosed by the wind-chest, form inlets for the air under pressure to the reeds, pipes, or other sounding devices whenever the perforations c in a playing strip or sheet, E, ot' paper or other flexible material (which pertorations correspond with the notes or sounds to be produced) are respeetively brought over the passages d in the board I). Said strip or sheet (or there may be two or more ot' such strips or sleets, arranged either side by side or otherwise) is also contained within the wind-chest A, and is made to travel over or against the board D for the purpose of opening or closing, as required, by its perforated and unperforatcd portions, the mouth or receiving ends of the passages (Z. The requisite notion ot' the perforated strip or sheet E for this purpose may be produced by fastening one end ot' said strip or sheet to a winding-roll, G, on one side of the board l), and the other end of said strip or sheet to an unw-*inding-roll, G', on the opposite side of said board, and by suitably rotating the roll on which the strip or sheet is wound.

By the arrangenent ot' the pert'orated strip or sheet within the wind-chest under pressure ot' the air tlerein as supplied by the force-pump or bellows or weighted receiver connected with the bellows, a very perfect valvular action is obtained for said strip or sheet, as its uiviperorated portions lie or pass over the niouths or receiving ends ot' the passagcs (Z, which conduct the wind to the reeds, pipes, or other sounding devices, the conipressed condition of the air in the wind-chest aiding ver" niaterially to effect this result, and in proportion as the valvular action of the strip or sheet is improved will the performance of the instrument as effected or controlled by the perforated strip or sheet be perfected.

The wind-chest A should be eonstructed with a hinged or other suitably opening and closing lid or cover, A', to provide for inserting and removing the perforated strip or sheet E, and replacing it by another when necessary to change the tune.

One or more packing-strips, s, of india-rubber or other suitable air-tight material, should be applied to the meeting faces or surt'aces of said cover and the chest A, so that when the cover is closed. it will exclude the escape of air from the wind-chest at the joint formed by the cover. Furthermore, it' desired, said cover may be a glazed one, or be fitted with a glass, a in order that the operation of the paper may be inspected from tine to time.

Although the device or part D is here termed an action-board, and a perforatcd board for the perforated strip or sheet to pass over orn contact with is preferable, it is not absolutely necessary that the same should literally be a board, inasmuch as any structure lavingpassages which serve to conduct the wind to the reeds or other sounding devices, and providing for the passage of the perforated strip over the mouth or rcceiving ends of said passages, would be the equivalent of what has here been termed an action-board.

The arrangement of the perforated strip or sheetrelatively to the winding-roll, u'windingroll, and the action-board, as here represented, is such that the curvature of the strip or sheet between said rolls is always in the same direction as its curvature when on the rolls,-and consequently the strip is not strained against the bend given to it by the rolls; but this arrangement of the strip or sheet, which has many advantages, forms no part of the present application, and it'is my intention to make it the subject ot' a separate application for Letters Patent.

I claim 1. In a nechanical musical instrument in which the required musical cit'ect is produced or controlled by one or more traveling perforated strips or sheet-s, and in which air under pressure is used to produce the necessary notes or sounds, the arrangenent within the wind -chest of the instrument ot' the actionboard or other equivalent structure, over or in contact with which the perforated strips or sleets are made to travel for the purpose of opening and closing the months or receivng ends of the passages which conduct the wind from the chest to the pipes, reeds, or other sounding devices of the instrument. substantially as specified.

2. In a mechanical musical instrument in which the required musical eft'ect is produced or controlled by one or more traveling perforated strips or sheet-s, the combination, with a wind-chest having air under pressure supplied to it, ot' an action board or other equivalent structure arran ged within said wind-chest, and having the months or receving ends ot' its passages opening into said chest, and one or more traveling perforated playin g st-ri ps or sheets, and means for carrying the same, also arranged within said wind-chest, essentally as described.

ELIAS P. NEEDHAM.

W'itnesses T. J. KEANE, FRED. HAYNES. 

